GenTool for Generals and Zero Hour: What It Is, Where to Download It, How to Install

GenTool is an add-on for Command & Conquer Generals and Zero Hour written by the modder xezon. It's basically one file, d3d8.dll: you put it in the game folder and the game loads it at startup. Once it's in, you get widescreen resolutions, an FPS limiter, camera controls in replays, an anti-cheat and replay uploads to the website. The current version on gentool.net is v8.9.

What GenTool does

This list comes from the GameReplays documentation, maintained together with the author:

• unlocks every resolution your monitor supports in the options menu, widescreen included;
• changes camera height, pitch and rotation (in replays and single player);
• adjusts map scroll speed;
• caps the frame rate, locks the cursor to the window, sets the window position;
• shows a clock and a match timer;
• saves screenshots as JPG;
• speeds up and slows down replays, adds an observer mode;
• catches maphacks (Maphack Detection System) and checks game files so nobody joins a match with a cheat mod;
• fixes a number of engine bugs and exploits, memory leaks included.

You open the menu with the Insert key right in the game. Arrow keys move between items.

Which game versions it supports

According to the official site, the add-on works with Generals 1.08 and Zero Hour 1.04. Deluxe Edition, The First Decade and The Ultimate Collection are supported. For the Steam and EA App versions it's easier to add it through GenPatcher, which finds the game folder itself and installs GenTool with one checkbox.

GenTool download

There's one reliable source: the downloads section on gentool.net. ModDB and GameReplays carry copies of the same files.

The same site has ranked map packs (1v1, 2v2, 3v3) and the Control Bar HD panel for Zero Hour. Skip game builds "with GenTool already included" from file hosts. d3d8.dll replaces a graphics library, and a random copy could be anything.

How to install GenTool

With the installer

1. Download GenTool_v8.9.exe from gentool.net.
2. Run it. It finds Generals and Zero Hour and puts the files in place.
3. Start the game and press Insert. If the menu opens, everything works.

Manually from the archive

1. Extract GenTool_v8.9.zip.
2. Copy d3d8.dll to the game's root folder, where generals.exe is. For Zero Hour that's the Zero Hour folder; for the original, the Generals folder.
3. Start the game.

The easiest way to open the Steam version's folder is from your library: right-click the game → Manage → Browse local files.

If Windows Defender deleted the file

The author warns that Windows Defender sometimes blocks GenTool.exe or d3d8.dll. The fix from the official page: add the game folder as an exclusion under Windows Security → Virus & threat protection. Only do this for a file you downloaded from gentool.net.

The program keeps screenshots and its own files in Documents\GenTool.

How to use it: first settings

After installing, open the menu with Insert and go through a few things.

Resolution. All your monitor's modes will show up in the regular game options. There's a separate guide to 1920x1080 and Options.ini.

Camera. Height is turned on in the menu before the match starts, and it only works in single player and replays. Pitch is changed with PgUp and PgDown; Home resets the default angle. In a multiplayer match pitch is limited to 37.5°, in a replay you can go down to 16.5°. Every way to pull the view back is collected in our Zero Hour camera zoom guide.

Window. For borderless fullscreen, set Window Position to TOP. legi.cc recommends this if the game minimizes itself or shows a black screen on Windows 10.

Replays. In Upload mode, replays and screenshots go to gentool.net. You can choose whether to keep copies on disk.

Updates

GenTool has its own updater. When a new version comes out, it downloads it and installs it after you close the game, so there's no need to reinstall by hand.

If the game won't start even with GenTool

GenTool improves a game that already runs. If Zero Hour crashes at startup or throws an error, start with the compatibility fixes in our guide on the game not launching on Windows 10 and 11.

And on a phone

On Android, Generals and Zero Hour run through ZeroFront, a port of the engine rather than the Windows version. There's no d3d8.dll there; you move and zoom the camera with two fingers. The gestures are described on the controls page.

FAQ